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Animal Transplants to Save Lives.....

In just about every country in the world there are long lists of people of all ages waiting to have an organ transplant of some type. Millions arcoss the world have to hook up to dialisis machines to clean their blood each week because there are no livers available for transplant. No one can deny the fact that there is a shortage of human organs ready to be transplanted. I believe that in some countries it is even possible to sell a kidney for cash...

In this BBC News Article it states that the possibility of animals (in this case pigs) being used as a source for meeting the shortfall in human organs is ever becoming closer due to advancements in genetic science, mainly our new found abilities to switch off certain genes thereby allowing for a greater chance of our bodys not rejecting these organs.

This technique of using animal organs is called "xenotransplantation". Do you think that we should be researching into this? If I, or a family member were in need of a transplant, and the offer of using an animals organ was put on the table, I would not refuse it, I dont think there are many who would if the alternative were death.

In the UK you have the option of carrying a 'Donar Card' with you. Which is a consent form to allowing your organs to be donated to another after you die. Which is a step in the right direction if you dont have qualms about it, or perhaps religious opinions which wont allow for organ transplants. For my money though, the way forward would be a 'No Donar Card'. ie When you die, if you choose not to have your organs donated then carry the card, otherwise in ALL cases your organs will be donated. This would go along way to meeting the demand of organs.

What do you think of the notion of having animal organs keeping you alive? Do you think that there is a possibility of animal virii transfering to humans because of this?

In the us the donnar option is on our drivers licence. Since driving produces the most organ donnars, it works well.
Selling organs was a topic on one of the major tv channels here last night.
The arguments against it arn't valid in my opinion. Making a person live in poverty is the most immoral thing a socity can do to someone. Comparing the devestating effect living in poverty has on the body and soul, where you have to watch you children succumb to diseases that can be easily cured, then watch those that survive live in oppression, selling an organ is a logical alternative.

Bukhari:V3B48N826 “The Prophet said, ‘Isn’t the witness of a woman equal to half of that of a man?’ The women said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘This is because of the deficiency of a woman’s mind.’”

But what the doctors are concerned about is abuse by other doctors and the system.

I agree poverty sucks, but how does society make people live in poverty?

Mankind have a great aversion to intellectual labor; but even supposing knowledge to be easily attainable, more people would be content to be ignorant than would take even a little trouble to acquire it.
- Samuel Johnson

See now we are going completely off the subject. What does poverty have to do with animal organs??????

Going back to the issue at hand. I agree with the_g_nee when it comes to the fact that everyone should donate their organs at death unless we explicitly say otherwise, hense the "NO DONAR CARD". But, going back to the whole animal organ thing, the thought of having a pigs liver just doesn't sit well with me but then again I am not dying so I see it differently than someone else.